Lithuanian Radio and Television

MUSTEIKIS Petras, University lecture, Vilnius

On the 12th of January, my wife and I were by the Radio and TV building on Konarskio Street.

Around 1:45 a.m., a column of tanks and armored vehicles drove up the hill from the direction of the Supreme Council. We realized that they were going towards the TV tower. While passing by, the tanks fired. A lot of people rushed to their cars and drove to the tower. Those of us who stayed crowded together by the entrance and tried to make a human chain. I was on the stairs by the Radio Committee. After 15 or 20 minutes, another column of armored vehicles and tanks turned onto Konarskio Street (from the direction of Vingis Park). Paratroopers threw explosives from the armored vehicles that were passing by. Two covered military vehicles followed the column. They stopped and paratroopers jumped out of them. Some of them who were without guns had rubber sticks. They rushed over to us, shooting and beating people with their guns and sticks. Breaking through a group of people, they made their way to the door, but all of us pushed them and managed to shove some of them away from the stairs. This made them even more furious, although there was something a bit unnatural about their anger. One of them climbed up, broke a window, and, firing, climbed inside. They began to beat everyone with their guns and shoot at our faces. The crowd moved back, and I was pressed against a bus that was parked near the stairs. It's back door opened, and along with some other people, I crawled inside. A paratrooper jumped in after us in a rage and shouted: “Ložites suki, vsech ubju!" („Lie down you bastards, I'll kill you all!") The women laid down, but he hit them nonetheless with his stick and gun.

The people didn't disperse. They chanted: “Fascists!" “Lithuania!" Paratroopers threw explosives, smoke shields and tear gas at us, and they fired over our heads. The soldiers had plastic bullets, but the officers had real ones. Over the military radio station they announced that their Committee had assumed power, that they had taken over the Supreme Council, and that they had established a curfew. Then the militia appeared and tried to block the people from the para-troopers.

The people still didn't disperse. Japanese cameramen were filming. The paratroopers rushed over to them, but we had formed a human wall around them. Then the paratroopers began to shoot at their legs, but the journalists managed to hide. The tank searchlights (which were very strong) lit up the windows of houses, and when they saw someone inside, they opened machine gun fire. Tracer bullets were being used. Windows were shattering and packets continued to explode. A tank fired (an acoustic shell) and nearly all of the windows of the surrounding houses broke.Then 2 or 3 buses of „Jedinstvo" members arrived. They were equipped with iron sticks, and on their sleeves they had red bands. Whistling, they got out of their buses, but frightened by the determination of the people, they hid behind the paratroopers right away.